Jungle Gifts
by Bossproject
Summary: The story of the conquest of Adraxinus VII, told from the perspective of a scout in the service of the Catachan 24th Regiment, known as "The Waiting Death". Rated M for upcoming violence. Please rate and comment.
1. Pre-Conquest Log

Journal Entry

Conquest of Adraxinus VII, Day 0:

My name is Natheus Stalmark. Rank: Trooper, "Catachan Devils" third squad, Catachan XXIV Regiment. I have decided to create this series of holo-logs to document my first planetary conquest. I am a native of Catachan, an Imperial Dead World which is, in fact, teeming with life. The planet itself is covered in dense jungle, and filled with all sorts of dangerous wildlife, which allows the Catachan Jungle Fighters to do what they do best: Guerilla Warfare. We are the best guerilla fighters that the Imperium has to offer. We are trained in it from the start, prowling the merciless jungle, earning each other's respect as we do so. We learn to pick up on even the slightest twitch, the snapping twig, the rustle of the leaves, and anything else that feels . . . out of place, disconnected from the rhythm of the jungle. For on Catachan, we understand: the jungle is alive, and we merely walk through its veins, visitors in its domain. If we are to be accepted by the jungle, we learn to become a part of it, and make it our home. Thus, anyone else is considered an intruder.

It is this training that makes us the perfect opening salvo for this particular conquest. Located on the edge of the Imperial front in the highly contested Frentorium sector, Adraxinus VII is a world covered from pole to pole in a massive, dense, mountainous jungle. Normally, the Imperium would pass this planet up for conquest. However, the astropaths indicated that there was a "shadow of death converging towards this planet, which will prove to be the tipping point in our conflict with the Ruinous Powers of Chaos." The Imperium quickly called upon the Imperial Guard to load up and move to conquer the planet, for use as a staging area for further conflict.

My regiment of Catachan Devils is to be the opening salvo of this conquest. We will be deploying ahead of the main force, acting as a scout force (which is what I do best). We will be the eyes of the Guardsmen, revealing the nature of this "shadow of death." We will be invisible, unrelenting in our goal. We will turn the jungle against our foes, bringing its wrath to bear upon those who would oppose the will of the Emperor.

I can hear the alarm claxons sounding, so I must go prepare. We are coming out of warp right above the planet, and my regiment will be deploying within the hour. It will probably be many days before I can record another journal entry. With luck, the Emperor will grant me the strength needed to carry out his will. We pray to him for guidance now. For the glory of the Emperor!


	2. Day 1

Journal Entry

Conquest of Adraxinus VII, Day 1:

For the record, I probably should be resting, instead of recording this holo-log. However, seeing as my squad has arrived early to its objective, I figured I had enough time for a short recording of the day's events.

Our fleet arrived at the planet right on schedule, exiting the warp at around 0800 hours. The Catachan XXIV was already on standby, loaded up and prepped for deployment. The higher-ups battle plan called for the immediate deployment of the "Catachan Devils" company to the planet's surface. Each of the company's three squads would deploy in a Valkyrie pattern transport ship, to a pre-designated point near the massive planetary mountain range. From there, we were to advance through the jungle, scouting for potential landing zones and signs of any enemy presence in the immediate area. At 1800 hours, we were to set up monitoring areas, and keep watch for any suspicious activity. Should we meet any resistance, we have been instructed by the Commisars to use lethal force.

Our gunships launched from the Battleship _Dommbringer_ at 0810, and we burned through the atmosphere quickly. Once we had reached the designated coordinates, the three gunships broke off. My gunship headed east, towards the slopes of the jungle-covered mountain range. The first gunship headed north, towards the mouth of a waterway that cut through some of the jungle. The second headed southeast, towards a massive expanse of trees.

Once we reached the designated landing point, our Valkyrie landed, and my squad unloaded all our equipment in short order, just as we had been taught. Once everything had been unloaded, the Valkyrie took off, heading towards the rendezvous point, then back up to the _Doombringer_. After a few seconds of making sure everything (and everyone) was accounted for, my squad proceeded to melt into the jungle, making it seem as if no one had landed at all.

The jungle is hot, humid, and insect infested. The weather is consistently sunny, with the occasional cloud breaking up the monotony of the great blue expanse of sky. The sounds of the jungle are ceaseless, reminding us constantly that each jungle is different, and that we are simply visitors in a foreign land. In short, it reminds me of home. We have set up camp on a mountain ridge, and have commenced surveying the surrounding landscape. I've been on a few forays with two of my fellow squad members, with orders to "get a feel for the land." So far as we can tell, there's no indication of this so-called "shadow of death" that the Astropaths had previously warned us of. It is not our job to question the will of the Emperor, though, so we will continue our mission.

Well, that's about all that happened today. I'm going to get some sleep now, seeing as we have a day of long range scouting tomorrow. It's shaping up to be a large patrol area, so I probably won't be able to make another log until late at night. Until then, end log.


	3. Day 2

Journal Entry

Conquest of Adraxinus VII, Day 2:

I apologize for the late hour of this recording. The patrol today was a bit . . . exciting, so we were late returning to camp. I'll get to that in a minute.

I woke up this morning to the sound of yelling coming from outside my tent. Stumbling out of my tent, I looked up, and was greeted with a large meteor hurdling across the sky. My squad and I all rushed to the edge of the ridge as the meteor slowly descended. It finally impacted near a small lake, lighting up the sky like a small nuke. When we finally regained our vision, we were surprised to see only a mere plume of smoke marking the point of impact. We quickly took note of its location, and after a few vox-comms with command, we got ourselves a plan. My squad leader assigned myself and two other squad mates to go investigate the impact area.

My first squad mate was Guardsman Cassio Marcula. Casio is a new recruit, and a native to Catachan, so we shared some common ground. His weapon of choice during training was always the Heavy Flamer. Trust me; he was quite skilled in its usage. The training sergeants all praised him as an "artist with a flamer." His official file labels him as "an expert in the field of pyrotechnic/ combi-pyrotechnic weaponry." With these commendations, it wasn't too difficult to guess his role: heavy weapons/support. He is extremely humorous, and always looks for the bright side of every situation (which would, in turn, explain his love for bright, fiery things . . .). He is also fiercely loyal to his squad, his duty, and most importantly his Emperor.

My second squad mate was Veteran Guardsman Taurus Formarun. He has served the XXIV Regiment as a trapper and hunter for a little over five years. This has resulted in a number of skull tattoos on his arm, for that is how we symbolize the years of service in the Catachan Regiments. He bears many scars, most of which are covered by his camouflage paint. He is an expert infiltrator, making it easy for him to get in and out of a situation without causing a stir. He is also extremely versatile when it comes to melee combat. Since his work requires silence, he is not a very vocal person. It is truly a gift of the Emperor himself to have him along.

We set out from the camp fully armed, since we had no knowledge as to whether this was just a simple meteor, or perhaps something . . . worse. We didn't say much, since we were outside of camp at that point. Each of us had our own sneaking suspicion as to what was going on, but we didn't voice them along the trip. The mission came first.

The objects impact had definitely stirred up the jungle wildlife. In fact, I believe that we encountered more wildlife on that single trip than we had our entire lives on Catachan. Strange avian creatures, the likes of which I had never seen, were screeching through the jungle. Many swarms of insectoids crossed our path as we made our way towards the impact crater, seemingly oblivious to their surroundings. Some species we encountered were hostile to us. Such encounters allowed Marcula to put his heavy flamer to good use, as even the bravest beast will shrink away in fright when faced with the prospect of a burning death. Even so, we moved quickly. It was already almost mid day on the planet, and if the creatures we saw were anything to go by, we weren't eager to see what would rear its ugly head when night fell upon the planet.

We made it to the impact area at around 1400 hours. The object had definitely impacted with a great amount of force, as it had created a sizeable crater. The object itself was long, jet black, oval shaped, and definitely xenos in nature. We quickly broke out our surveillance gear, and began to take readings and record holo-images, as per instructions. Strangely enough, the object seemed to have cooled down very quickly, as the temperature readings came out to around normal levels. The object was covered in strange markings. They emitted a sickly green light, which seemed to pulsate and shift as we circled around it, causing us to keep our distance from the object itself. After we finished up, we took a few minutes to rest. As we stood at the edge of the crater, we were filled with a sense of dread. We left the crater a few moments later, all three of us muttering prayers to the Emperor under our breaths.

We arrived back at camp at around 2100 hours. We were challenged by the sentry, who recognized us immediately once we stepped into visible range. The camp was quiet, the only noise coming from the squad leader's tent. We entered quickly and quietly, and gave him our report. He took a few moments to read over the details. He then ordered us to go and eat, while he vox-messaged all of our information back to the _Doombringer_.

As I sat down by the fire to eat, Marcula approached, taking the space next to me. He had a worried look on his face.

"What's on your mind, Marcula?" I asked.

"I truly don't know, Natheus," he responded, shifting a bit. "I've just got a bad feeling about that object."

"What do you think it is?"

"I'm not entirely certain. I do know this; it isn't natural, and it isn't human."

"Well," I said, as I continued to eat, "the Emperor willing, we'll know soon enough. The squad leader has sent our info to command. They're bound to know what it is."

Marcula stared at me for a bit. "You know, Natheus," he said, "I truly hope you're right."

We sat in silence by the fire for e few minutes, eating and contemplating on what the future had in store for us. After a while, I decided to head for my tent, to get some rest before tomorrow. Hopefully, we'll know the origin of that object by then. Until then . . . end log.


	4. Day 3

Journal Entry

Conquest of Adraxinus VII, Day 3:

So apparently, the data my squad mates and I gathered on the object yesterday caused quite a stir with the high brass. While we were all asleep on the planet surface, the command staff brought in analysis teams of astropaths to study the markings on the object. According to the official reports, the astropaths took one look at the markings, and went into a sort of psycho-fanatic frenzy, raving about the "shadow of death" that they had warned us of earlier. The higher-ups on the _Doombringer_ decided that this was obviously significant, and have proceeded to mount a full scale deployment, ahead of schedule. Three regiments of the Mordian Iron Guard have been deployed, along with two Armageddon Steel regiments, and a company of Elysian Drop Troopers. As for us, we have been tasked with securing this object for retrieval.

I know I should be excited by this change in pace. There's something about that object that's bugging me, though. Something in the jungle doesn't feel right, like there's something hidden that doesn't belong. I feel as if I'm being watched by some alien hunter. It's like we're all walking into a trap, and the trappers just can't contain their mirth, cackling with glee as we walk freely into their jaws. It's not just me. Everyone in the Devils feels the same way. Even the squad leader, a man who always seemed unfazed by any sort of surprise during basic training, is constantly looking over his shoulder. Marcula and Taurus have been sticking close to me, and both of them have been muttering quick prayers to the Emperor under their breath as they pack their gear for the trip. Marcula has been particularly edgy, keeping his Heavy Flamer close to his side at all times. Taurus has been a bit less evident about his nerves, but he's been constantly checking the condition of his knives and trapping gear, making sure that it's in prime condition. He also has a suspicious look in his eyes, like he know's someones laughing at him, but can't see the person laughing. More than one guardsman is walking around cautiously, and when a Catachan in a jungle begins to walk cautiously, then you know that something is up . . .

Well, I know this has been short, but we're moving out real soon, so I need to get ready. Just wanted to make a quick little update before I go. Hopefully, the Emperor will smile upon us, and we will all return safe. I don't want to air any real suspicions, but if it is who I think it is . . . .well, let's just say that I hope to the God-Emporer that I'm really, really wrong. End log.


	5. Day 4

(Hey guys, sorry about the delay on this one, I had to take a step back and think about what direction I was going with this story. I know my last entry was a bit short. If you see anything that needs reviewing, please hit me up with a review. This is my first real piece, and your help would be greatly appreciated. Oh, and one more thing: No, I don't own anything related to the publications, products, terminology, et cetera . . . from Games Workshop. Enjoy!)

Journal Entry

Conquest of Adraxinus VII, Day 4:

So, finally, I have the time and patience to make a holo-log at a decent hour this time so I'm going to make some good use of the time I have and make one. We're camped outside the object now, which is making the entire squad extremely nervous. I'll get to that in a minute.

After receiving our orders, the squad mobilized in short order. We packed our belongings, and made sure there was no evidence that we had ever taken up residence in that particular area of the jungle. As the squads scout, I left ahead of the rest of the squadron, to lead them to the object. I may have been alone, but I'm a Catachan Devil. I'm a scout who loves what he does, and I'm damn good at it, too. Even still, I kept on my toes. The jungle is an extremely unforgiving place.

Believe me when I say that I was not prepared, mentally, for what I went through on that second trip to the object. On the first trip, the entire jungle had been in frenzy. All the inhabitants where stampeding around, either totally ignorant of each other, or extremely hostile. The noise was, well, almost deafening. I swear that we saw every single species of creature on this planet during that one trip. This trip, on the other hand, was completely different. The jungle was dead silent. Nothing moved. Nothing breathed. It seemed like the entire jungle was devoid of life. The few creatures I saw just sat there, staring at me. It was almost as if someone had found the ever beating source of the jungle's heart, and just . . . . . . . . . . . . . . stilled it, permanently. I clutched my meltagun close to my side, and kept my pace quick.

When I finally reached the impact area, what I saw defied all Terran logic. The markings continued to pulsate. This time, however, the colors had begun to shift between sickly shades of green and yellow. That wasn't the worst of it, though. Somehow, I don't know exactly how, but somehow, the markings have begun to . . . spread, like some sort of sickness. There was a symbol that formed right before my very eyes, defiling the ground with its Warp-spawned heresy. The more I looked upon it, the less I wanted to stay. I had to though, so I began to set myself up.

Thing's have been strange, ever since we made camp here. We're now sure that there's something dark and chaotic out there, and it's hunting us, mocking us, laughing hysterically as we grip our weapons in fear of what is to come. That's not the worst thing, however. Something's happened to the first and second squads. We've been trying to raise them on the vox-comms, but we're not getting any sort of response from them. At first we thought they might have run into some malfunctions. The more we thought about that possibility, the less plausible it seemed. They're Catachan Devils, after all. A Catachan Devil would never let the jungle get to his gear. Something's happened to them, I know it. Whatever's hunting us . . . it must have caught them. I pray to the Emperor that they're alright. We may just end up finding out on our own. Until then . . . log end.


	6. Day 5

(Hello everyone, sorry this one came out a bit late. Been doing some travelling so I needed a bit of a break. Don't forget to hit me up with some reviews, in case you see anything that needs fixing. I'll be writing another piece based on the Imperial Navy next, so some advice on what I'm doing would help. Enjoy, everyone!)

Journal Entry

Conquest of Adraxinus VII, Day 5:

So today was probably one of the most disturbing days of my life, so far. It started off with a transmission from first squad. We had been trying to hail first squad on our vox-coms for most of the morning. At first we had simply dismissed their lack of response as a transmission error. We were many miles away from each other, after all, and the jungle was pretty thick. Transmissions over vox-coms could easily get lost, which was why we always had to send two copies of our transmissions whenever we transmitted to command. So, naturally, we weren't too worried. It was around the sixth attempt to raise them on the vox-coms that we all began to get a bit worried. They were a Catachan Devils squad, after all.

After about four hours, and the Emperor knows how many attempts, we were finally hailed over vox by first squad. Excited to finally hear from our fellow guardsmen, we all gathered around the communications officer's console. What we heard, though, sent shivers down our spine:

"Hello . . . this is first squad Sergeant Carthrix, is anyone out there?" We tried to answer, but he just kept rambling on like there was no one on the other end. "I've lost most of my squad. They've either been killed, or . . . taken. They came out of nowhere . . . we couldn't fight them off. Everything we tried failed miserably. There was nothing I could do . . . oh, great Emperor, protect me . . ." We tried to get him to tell us what it was he spoke of, but he still ignored us. "I can't take it anymore . . . it was like every time someone ventured beyond the perimeter, they just disappeared. I can hear them now . . ." The poor man was sobbing hysterically now. "They're coming for me, I can feel it. They've been laughing at me . . . taunting me with these disappearances . . . oh, God-Emperor, they're here . . ." there were sounds of fighting now, along with hysterical screams. "NO, EMPEROR DAMN YOU, STAY BACK! STAY . . . BACK!" The transmission cut off at that point.

We all sat there for a few minutes, just staring at the vox-com, trying to process what we had just heard. It was obvious, at that point, that something terrible had happened to first squad. We also had proof that we were not alone here on Adraxinus VII. There were xenos on this planet here with us that much was certain. The squad leader then made the decision to set out double watches and has requested a pair of Sentinel Walkers for scouting purposes. He also sent a copy of the transmission to command up on the _Doombringer_. The Comissars up top have decided to send a retrieval team, ignoring our squad leader's warnings. Either way, our orders are to sit tight and wait for retrieval. How things will turn out, though, none of us are certain.

The rest of the day was spent at a state of constant readiness. All of our patrols were called back. We set up a new perimeter, complete with all the Catachan touches that make it more like home. Taurus spent most of the rest of the day setting up all sorts of traps around the perimeter, everything from simple tripwire grenade traps to other, more exotic traps that involved what I assumed to be home grown trap recipes. As I stood there, watching him meticulously set a particularly nasty looking trap, I felt a tiny tinge of sympathy for the enemy. Whoever triggers these traps is going to be ripped to shreds. It does very little to calm my nerves, though. I can still feel their eyes out there, watching me closely. Whoever owns those eyes is very interested in me and my two squad mates, Marcula and Taurus. Maybe they just see us as toys to be played with. Maybe they see us as the ultimate prey, like the three most dangerous animals on the hunting range. Either way, when they come for us, you can be sure that we'll give them a fight that they won't live to remember.

Well, I have to leave. Marcula, Taurus, and I are on first watch, and I'm ready to get this all over with as soon as they are. Emperor willing, I'll be back to make another log. Until then . . . Log end.


	7. Day 6

Journal Entry

Conquest of Adraxinus VII, Day 6:

I feel like things are slowly beginning to sink down from bad to worse in the conquest. I know there's something out there, hunting us. I can feel its eyes on me every waking moment, staring at me mockingly, laughing at every single twitch I make. I know it's dangerous, because of what happened to first squad. I hate them for what they did to first squad. Yet, how can I hate what I cannot see? How can I shoot what's not there? How can I track that which walks unseen and unheard through the now still heart of the jungle?

So many questions like these spin through my head. One thought, however, remains ever constant: no matter what happens, the Emperor will reveal all the answers to me in time. Only through keeping my faith in him do I ensure that I will be able to strike with righteous fury upon those who wrong us. I constantly remind myself (and those around me) of those same words, that same shining truth that led us to venture above the canopies of the jungle of Catachan, to fight for our beloved Emperor.

There are some good things that have come to pass, make no mistake. The squad received one of the requested Sentinel walkers today. As I am the squads scout, I was put in charge of driving the Sentinel. It's brand new, too, so it handled beautifully as I took it for a spin around the edge of the crater. As I pushed the walkers speed to its limits, I could see Marcula and Taurus cheering me on from the sidelines.

Marcula, Taurus, and I have become very close in the last few days following the impact. Our experiences in the jungle either during Guardsmen Training (in the case of Marcula), or during our time on Adraxinus VII (in the case of Taurus) have brought us together not only as friends, but as brothers. Those two together . . . I swear, I would trust my life to them in the face of a Tyranid invasion, if such was the case. We spend a lot of time together, either on watch or around the fire, and I have gotten to know them extremely well.

Marcula, for all his love of wanton destruction and pyrotechnics, is a gourmet when it comes to cooking. He has been able to take one of my day rations, whip out some herbs he keeps stored in one of his old mess tins, put the two together, cook them out over the open fire for about five minutes, and then present it as an incredibly fine dish. Let me tell you, I have never tasted its equal. I think, if he put his mind to it, Marcula could take a stick, and make it satisfying. Ironically, I found it surprising that this love of cooking was no surprise to me at all. It's like I'd been expecting it.

Taurus, on the other hand, has been a complete surprise. He uses his Catachan knives to sculpt much more than flesh. He sculpts wood totems in his spare time. Whenever he is off duty (which is a rarity due to recent events), he is always sitting inside the crater, a chunk of wood and small knife in his hand, carving away. His meticulous attention to detail, given to his traps, carries over into his artwork, with every scratch and indention done with a purpose. He is truly an artistic warrior.

According to them, what draws them to me is my loyalty and speaking ability. Marcula once commented on my speaking, saying that I could convince an avalanche to turn and attack the enemies of the Emperor with little or no difficulty. Taurus, a man who is usually quite quiet, told me that he would follow me anywhere, and that I should have become a Comissar. The thought has stuck with me. What would happen if I was a Comissar? Would my men follow me? The Catachan Jungle Fighters have been known to frag many of their superior officers. For a fellow Catachan to say he would follow me if I was a Comissar . . . well, I'll hold onto that thought.

There have been more problems in the jungle. The retrieval teams sent after the first and second squad haven't returned, making my squad the last of the Catachan Devils regiment deployed on Adraxinus VII. The comissars and commanders on the _Doombringer_ have begun a full-scale landing onto the surface, mostly due to the urgings of the astropaths and a strategic need to secure the planet. With the loss of two retrieval teams, and two squads of Catachan Devils, command has realized that it has a problem that it cannot ignore. The shadows seem to be closing in for the kill now. We're the last ones left, the last beasts left to kill. Yet, in the name of the holy Emperor himself, it will be a fight to remember.

Well, that's all I really have for today. I need to go. I'm on first watch again and I shouldn't keep my friends . . . wait a minute, I think I heard some thing . . . aw hell, INCOMING! OPEN FI-(log cuts off here)


	8. Day 7

(I would like to thank those of you who have given me input on how I should work on the story. Also, I would like to thank thesimpledaydreamer for his input and advice on the characterization of the Dark Eldar. Please remember to review, your reviews count. And now . . . Enjoy!)

Journal Entry

Conquest of Adraxinus VII, Day 7:

The Dark Eldar. Of all the things in this universe, it just HAD to be the Dark Eldar. They must have been the ones that sent this accursed object down upon us. They were the ones that were hunting us all through the jungle. They're the ones that have stilled the jungle's ever beating heart. They are the ones who have now revealed themselves to us as the hunters. They know now, however, that their prey is much more dangerous than they had originally thought.

You see, the transmission from first squad alerted us to the presence of xenos on the planet. As such, we were prepared to receive uninvited guests when the Dark Eldar Cabal of slavers decided that it was high time for another slave raid. Trust me when I say that they did not find us wanting. They strode forward, expecting to just capture us without any struggle. The arrogant fools strode right into our traps, and paid dearly for it. It was their screams that alerted me to the xenos presence. Even though we couldn't see them, we could hear them, which allowed Marcula to get his bearings and light them up with his heavy flamer. He let out a yell of surprise as three or four of the Dark Eldar caught fire, shining like brightly lit torches in the middle of the night. This allowed me to catch a quick glimpse of my opponents before I raced towards my new Sentinel walker. In that moment, I made eye contact with one of the Dark Eldar, presumably the leader of the cabal, or at least the raiding party. When our eyes locked, the moment seemed to stretch on for an age and more. His eyes were full of sadistic joy, and he looked to me as if he lived for nothing more than to cause pain towards others, like it was his only purpose for existence. The look I leveled at him was loaded with righteous fury. In my eyes I held a promise for him. A promise of a hunt, one greater than anything this wretched, sadistic xenos had ever experienced before. This only made the sickening bastard smile all the wider.

An explosion above me brought me back to the moment at hand, as someone tossed a grenade over the edge of the crater, and into the ranks of the oncoming enemies. The Dark Eldar in the vicinity of the blast flitted out of sight, only to reappear a few seconds later. This caused me to run all the faster, until I finally reached my Sentinel walker. Without waiting for instructions from my commanding officers, I jumped up the sides of the walker and into the cockpit. Once seated, I immediately began the start up sequence, sighing in relief as the walkers controls responded to my commands. I paused to say a quick prayer to the Emperor, before moving my Sentinel to the front line of the fight, aiming for the light of Marcula's heavy flamer. Boy, did he look shocked to see my striding forth. I gave him a nod, before lighting up the enemy positions with my weapons system. The heavy auto gun worked wonders upon the steadily advancing Dark Eldar forces. I had those arrogant xenos creatures diving for cover, as I laid down a wide ark of covering fire so the few guardsmen that were fighting alongside Marcula could retreat. Marcula rallied on me, and continued to paint the surrounding area with flame.

It was during that time that I caught a glimpse of my friend Taurus. He had managed to slip behind the enemy lines, and was now playing havoc with the enemy forces as the fighting continued to intensify. I saw one of the Dark Eldar warriors run out into the open, screaming bloody murder, before exploding into a hundred pieces mere seconds later. Taurus had stuck a grenade to the twisted xenos, and had proceeded to let it have a few seconds of hope before its extremely painful death. A few seconds later, I saw a few xenos running foreward, blinded by a flash of light, which allowed us to pick them off relatively easily. It was things like this which, in my opinion, won us that battle along the craters edge.

Now, don't think for a minute that we came out unscathed. We lost three of our number before the fighting even started. Our communications officer was dragged away by two Dark Eldar, kicking and screaming for his life. Our squad leader was injured, with a shot through the leg. He was still able to fight. So now his second in command is helping with control of the squad. They're both level headed men, so nothing much has changed. We're setting up fortifications around the rim of the cliff. Taurus is out right now, setting up his traps. He's been setting up mines now, not just natural traps. He's been out for most of the morning, muttering something about giving the Dark Eldar something to scream about. I think he's setting up a minefield: he sure had a lot of plasma charges with him. Marcula has been on constant patrol around the rim of the crater. He prowls around the rim with his heavy flamer like a feral beast. If any more of those sadistic xenos slavers return, they will meet with fire, and they will burn, I guarantee it. I've been rigging up my Sentinel walker for optimal jungle performance, which is what I have to get back to now. I've finished up with the new servos, for greater mobility, and now I need to start work on the jungle camo, so that when I'm working out in the field, I'll be harder to spot by xenos snipers. Next I need to work on the sound dampening system, which will be helpful when I go out into deep jungle situations. Hopefully, the leaders of the Imperium will see fit to respond to our calls, and send a company of space marines, or perhaps the Sisters of Battle. Maybe they'll leave us to do this on our own. We'll see soon enough. Until then . . . log end.


	9. Day 8

( Hello, readers! My deepest apologies for this incredibly long delay. I have finally been able to find the direction in which I needed to take in order to continue. Speaking of which, here is the result. Enjoy!)

Journal Entry

Conquest of Adraxinus VII, Day 8:

So, it appears that the third (and now only) squad of Catachan Devils wasn't the only Imperial Guard unit to see action against the Dark Eldar these last few days. Sightings of Dark Eldar have been popping up all over the planet, ranging from small scale slave raids to massive-scale attacks and full-frontal assaults. Records taken from many of the battles that took place on the same night as ours led to some confusing discrepancies. The colors and markings varied radically from battle to battle, as did the tactics and fighting styles. Once the astropaths and intelligence officers on the _Doombringer_ correlated the information, however, they came to a stunning (and chilling) conclusion. All evidence pointed to the presence of all eight of the major Kabals of the Dark Eldar city of Commoragh working under the supervision of the infamous Black Heart Kabal. Given the rumors I have heard, the reputation of the Dark Eldar, and my own experiences with them, I shudder to think what their plans are for us.

Speaking of the Black Heart Kabal . . . We were sent some intel today concerning major Dark Eldar leaders to look out for, and . . . well, I did some cross-referencing between the intel from command and the images taken from our battle at the crater, and I made a startling connection: the person I made eye contact with was the leader of a Kabal. Not just any Kabal, either. This was Asdrubael Vect, leader of the Black Hearts Kabal. My face blanched as I made the connection, and I swear he was watching me at that exact moment. It was like I could feel his eyes on me, mocking my fear once again. I looked around to my squad mates: I saw Marcula look up, and Taurus shudder. I knew then that they could feel it too. We all three looked towards one another, and realized that the coming days would be incredibly long, wrought with hardship, pain, suffering, and almost certain death. We would certainly have to rely on one another in this conquest, and place our faith in the Emperor himself, who shall always bestow his greatest blessings upon those who hold true to his teachings, fight hard for his glory, and keep faith in him, even through the darkest of trials. If we were to walk away from this planet alive, we would most certainly need those blessings to help see us through.

In other news, the Dark Eldar presence in orbit has become alarmingly strong. Two of our capital ships have already engaged the Dark Eldar's pirate forces, bringing both their fleets and guns to bear upon the xenos filth which pollutes the bounds of space above this planet. The _Doombringer _is staying behind the battle lines, in order to aid us in our stuggle against the chaotic xenos on the surface of the planet. In light of recent struggles, the _Doombringer _has been sending down a steady stream of reinforcements and supplies. Two more fleets are coming our way. One of them is led by the capitol ship _Wrathdriver. _Command was tight lipped about the details concerning the other fleet, saying that it was "above our rank and station." That gave the squad a laugh, to be sure. The ever so high and mighty command has always looked down upon us. We care not, for we knew our duty to the Emperor, and we did our duty well.

On a more personal note, my faith in our Holy Emperor appears to be incredibly evident to the rest of the squad, since many of the members of our squad have been coming to me seeking-surprisingly enough- spiritual support. Today, for example, Marcula sat down beside me while I was cleaning my melta gun. As he was cleaning his heavy flamer, he turned to me and said, with fear in his eyes:

"Natheus, my friend, do you think the Emperor has forsaken us?"

I turned towards him, and put my hand upon his shoulder, saying as I did so: "Marcula, before I answer, I must know: is that a heavy flamer you carry?"

"Of course" He said, confusion covering his face, "Why?"

"Are you not well versed in its usage?" I continued, a strange feeling of intensity rising within me.

"Yes . . ."

"And are you not proud of your mastery of this holy weapon?"

"You know full well that I am," he said, still confused.

"Have the Dark Eldar, these filthy decadent xenos, not felt the sting of your holy fire?" I continued, the intense feelings growing within me still.

"Yes."

"Then tell me, are you truly Marcula, wielder of the Emperors Holy Fire?!" I cried, releasing the intensity which had been building within me. "Or are you some cowardly doubter, who would choose to speculate upon the Emperors methods and blessings, instead of fighting for those blessings yourself?!"

"I am Marcula!" he answered, his head rising with determination, "and I shall bring the decadent xenos to justice, letting them feel the glory of the Emperor's presence as it charres them to burnt husk!" With that he thanked me, and we continued to clean our weapons.

I have continued to ponder on this new sense of religious zeal that has come over me in these past few days. Whatever it's reasons, I know that the Emperor smiles down upon me, and that in his presence none can truly bring me to harm. I will continue to make logs each day until the conquest ends. Until then . . . End Log.


	10. Day 9

Journal Entry

Conquest of Adraxinus VII, Day 9:

Today has been incredibly . . . long. The squad's sense of fear is beginning to become more and more obvious as the day's wear on. The Dark Eldar presence is beginning to take its toll on us. Every twig snap could be an enemy, stalking us through the jungle. The rustle of leaves could signify the presence of cloaked troops. Every single sound puts us all on edge, and there has been many shots fired wildly into the jungle, aimed at "something I thought I saw." Discipline levels are fraying at the edges. It almost seems like they're waiting for us to fall apart, just so they can pick us up in pieces. Sometimes, I just wish . . .

Anyway, there is some god news. We received three important supply drops today. The first drop consisted of crates full of new provisions, weapon maintenance kits, rations, ammunition, et cetera. We immediately distributed the wealth evenly amongst the troops, and the camp around the object was soon filled with the sounds of weapon repairs and maintenance. We were grateful, since the jungle was beginning to get to some of the squads equipment. The jungle will always reclaim what is left to it. If left unattended, it can pull apart even the best protections rather quickly.

Our second drop consisted of something we rejoiced at seeing: trap materials. Chords, ropes, plasma charges, a few bolter rounds, extra knives, land mines, flash, smoke, and fragmentation grenades, trip wires, remote detonators, and other bits of odds and ends, all accompanied by a note: "Courtesy of the Waiting Death." We smiled at that, for we knew that our regiment had come through for us, giving us the tools to make this area an absolute hell hole for the Dark Eldar. Taurus immediately grabbed a portion of the materials, and headed out into the jungle, accompanied by a few of our best trappers. According to eye-witness reports, Taurus had a field day with the supplies and tools that he took with him into that jungle. He was reported to have masterfully crafted every single conceivable trap known to a Catachan Devil, and then some that none of us knew of: spike traps with explosive tips, dart traps with poison coated darts, and some incendiary traps of which no description was made available. I have faith in his craftsmanship, though it scares me to think of what should happen if any of us were to stumble into one of those traps. I pray to the Holy Emperor that I never have to find out.

The third supply drop is what left us with a measure of apprehension. The Valkyrie touched down, and the guardsmen unloaded the supplies for an Aegis Defense Line. Now, if these were any normal fortifications, we would have dismissed them as just a precaution for those who would rather us be safe than sorry. The Aegis Defense Line, however, is reserved for heavy frontline combat. The fact that they had given it to us meant that the Dark Eldar were coming, and coming quickly, too. We immediately set about its construction, and we have been able to construct half of the defense line already, and now we have set up watchers on the parts that have all been completed. A few Dark Eldar aircraft have flown over head, but we do not know the purpose of their flight. It fills me with apprehension, though, and I keep my melta close at hand, so that should anything happen, I could reach my Sentinel easily, without fear of being unarmed. I have, on a positive note, completed the modifications to my Sentinel. I have taken it out on a few patrols, and the installed technology works almost flawlessly. The sound dampening technology helps to quiet my movements as I continue to delve deeper and deeper into the jungle. The enhanced sensors and cartography tech I installed helps me to remember any old routes I find and take, so if an escape should be needed, I will have many options to lead the squad to safety. I have found a few breathtaking vistas on the mountainside during my patrols. Truly, the planet upon which we do battle in the Emperors name is quite beautiful from the top of a cliff. It is only when you re-descend into the perilous jungle that you must again face the fear that grips those who are unfamiliar with the ways of the jungle warriors. I thank the Emperor that I am used to the jungle.

The battle in space has begun to intensify, as more and more of the Dark Eldar space craft continue to pour from the webway. As if in answer, more and more of our ships have poured in from the Warp. Three more battlefleets have arrived to aid us in our struggle, each carrying reinforcements to aid us in our struggle, one from Mars, another from Terra, and one more from the neighboring Gorumanda system. There is another fleet that approaches, though I know not whom they are as of yet. I do know that there have been casualties. I have been tasked with locating many of the escape pods and drop pods that were sent down from some of our own dying starships. Of the three I have been tasked to find today, only one contained survivors. The rest had been captured by the Dark Eldar, taken to Emperor knows where, to be sold as slaves for the pleasure of some filthy xenos master. I shudder to think of their fates. I can only hope that the majority of them died in the crash. If the screams of the first squad are anything to go by, what happens to them will probably be incredibly horrific, and not worth repeating on this recording. I can only pray . . . Until tomorrow, log end.


	11. Day 10

(OK, OK, so I know what you're all thinking: "What happened to Bossproject? Is he dead? Maybe if we poke him . . . ." Rest assured, after spending an incredibly long time secluded in the halls of my mind, I have finally returned, and with me I bring tidings from Natheus Stallmark! Enjoy, while I go back out to find some more.)

Journal Entry

Conquest of Adraxinus VII, Day 10:

You know, for filthy xenos scum, the Dark Eldar seem to have this almost innate sense of timing. It's almost sickening, the way they seem to pop up out of Emperor knows where, and disappear just as quickly, and right when you least expect it. It's annoying, cowardly, and at the same time, downright deadly. Today's battle serves as a perfect example of why the Dark Eldar are a race to be feared.

It all started while I was out on patrol this morning. We had received reports of some disturbingly frequent energy spikes located in the nearby swamp region. The swamp region was a region of the jungle which, when seen from the air, looked like every other inch of this jungle. Beneath the canopy, however, solid ground gave way to a festering swampland that stretched on for miles in each direction. Swarms of insects floated above the surface, forming solid black clouds which flitted in and out of view. Beneath the surface, creatures I'd never imagined existed would float through the swamp, snapping up smaller creatures with different appendages. There must have been at least five different species of predator there, I'm sure of it. On top of all that, the smell coming from the swamp was strong enough to make even our noses bleed after only a few minutes of exploration. The gasses coming out of that swamp were lethal as well, meaning we needed gas masks before we even thought about adventuring into that fetid waste, which we nicknamed "The Slaanesh Scent Shop." Yeah, it smelled about that bad.

Now, for us, this served as both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, it basically eliminated the potential for a large scale attack coming from that particular direction. It was too dangerous for any large body of troops to pass through unaffected in some way. On the other hand, that meant that our escape options are extremely limited in that particular direction. We can't bring vehicles into the swamp, because of the terrain, which plays havoc with anything heavier than a Sentinel walker. My walker can barely traverse it unscathed, which is why I've only tried to cross it once. As such, we have no accurate mapping or intel concerning the swamp. It's just one big question mark for us, and we're Catachans. The way command saw it, if we couldn't cross that cursed swamp unharmed, then neither could the Dark Eldar. Sadly, today's events showed us just how very, very, VERY wrong we were.

I had taken my walker as deep into the swamp as I could without sinking into the muck, and then had proceeded on foot to around the center of the nearest quadrant of the swamp. I set up some scanning equipment, and began searching for source of the aforementioned energy spikes. I seriously doubted that I would come across anything more than some gas flare-ups from within the swamps. Still, something about the swamp today put me on edge. Everything seemed hostile, cold, and foreboding. It was almost as if the swamp itself was freezing over. I couldn't shake the urge to pack my bags, turn tail, and run. The swamp seemed just that hostile. Still, my senses seemed heightened then, like I was sitting in some kind of amplifier. Every bubble of swamp gas that popped up sounded like an explosion, every snapped twig was like a gunshot in those few minutes. I looked around, scanning my surroundings, my body tense. The feeling I had been having of being stalked by some hungry beast had grown so strong, it felt as if the Dark Eldar were right on top of me, evil smiles and twisted weapons ready to destroy me without a single thought. What happened in those next few moments . . . well, I don't think I'll forget what happened for the rest of my career. I was just getting started with packing up my sensor equipment back into my Sentinel, when I heard what's gotta be the most chilling voice in the universe say from directly behind me;

"Interesting."

Immediately, I spun around, whipping out my Devil's Claw as I did so. Leaning against the tree was an all too familiar sight. It was the Dark Eldar Archon from the attack earlier. The shadows and mist from the swamp seemed to cling to him, as if his sheer malice attracted the worst in every single place he walked. I could feel it, too. It was like a sickness, something that couldn't be healed, a disease that was stuck with you until the end of time. It's the kind of thing you don't forget easily. The fiendish archon had a smile plastered all over his face, and was looking, for all the world, as if he had won the entire planet, and like I was just a stupid, unthinking slave for him to toss around. His smile kind of got to me after a few seconds, so I finally spoke up. It was the first time I had ever spoken to one of the xenos before.

"What do you mean, interesting?'

The Archon smirked at me, as if I was just an annoyance. "Interesting, that you humans would so willingly walk into a trap, and a painfully obvious one at that, and then act so surprised when the jaws close around your skinny little throats. I mean really," He said, getting up as he did so to circle around me, "did you not suspect that we brought you here on purpose? And did you REALLY think that we wouldn't be able to come at you filthy mon'keigh through this fetid swamp?" As he was speaking, I felt and heard a strange humming sound, which caused me to look up. I was just in time to see three medium sized barge-looking hover craft come flying out of the swamp, each one armed to the teeth and packed with kabalite warriors. Smaller craft flew before with them, carrying either a single warrior or a pair of warriors. I could only sit there for a few moments, stunned at what I was seeing. The sounds of battle, and the voices coming out of the vox-com, were the only things that brought me back to reality: "This is Catachan Devils Third Squad leader, we've got some strange . . . . Oh, God-Emperor . . . we've got Dark Eldar coming out of the swamp . . . request immediate assistance . . . IS ANYONE OUT THERE?! PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF . . ." I gathered up my equipment and rushed into my Sentinel walker, swearing under my breath, all thoughts of the Archon completely disappearing as I shifted my walker into gear and began travelling at top speeds back towards the crater. I dreaded what I would find, and the scattered vox-communications weren't helping. It seemed so chaotic, like everyone was shouting at each other at once. I sped down the path I had carved, franticly searching for any signs of survivors.

As I sped through the jungle, I heard someone shouting above all the rest: "You want some of this?! Huh? How about you?!" There was a loud _fwooooooosh,_ which could be heard over the microphone. "COME GET SOME THEN IF YOU THINK YOU'RE HARD ENOUGH!" I knew that voice: it was Marcula. I began franticly shouting to him, trying to get his attention. My efforts proved unnecessary: the massive blasts of flame told me exactly where he was. He stood, wild eyed and more than a bit singed, breathing raggedly and clutching his heavy flamer like his life depended on it, which it did. There were charred corpses all around him, a mute smoking testament to his pyro skills. It took a couple of seconds to get his attention, but I finally managed to get him to notice the fact that I was there. From him, I learned that the Dark Eldar attack had wiped out thirty-two members of the squad, including the CO and second-in-command. I felt my face blanch as he told the rest of his tale. The Dark Eldar had seized the strange object, and had driven the rest of the squad out of the crater. The squad was now on the run. After a few more words of conversation, Marcula actually led me to where the rest of the squad was hiding. It was a small group indeed.

I entered the clearing and saw, first and foremost, that Taurus had made it out of the Dark Eldar attack with only minor injuries to show for it. Aside from him, only a few others had made it. Cordot, a new recruit, had made it, which garnered a few sighs of relief from the rest of us. Cordot was the squads' medical officer and an artist when it came to the gory and unglorified duty of battlefield medicine. Gardeaux had also made it; he was one of the squads' dedicated snipers, able to peg a small fly to a pinpoint if he really set his mind to it. The last person in the group was Sims, who was an expert communications officer, a replacement for the one we lost in the first attack. After a few moments of just catching our breath, we turned tail and fled into the swamp, with me leading in my walker and the rest of the squad following behind me. We've been wandering through the swamps, with the Dark Eldar hot on our trails. How they ever managed to get through and find us in this swamp is beyond me, but they've finally stopped the chase. Marcula and I have taken first watch around the campsite, with everyone else getting some sweet, sweet sleep. They'll need it when the . . . sssshhhhhhh, did you hear that . . . there's something moving around out there . . . . Wait a minute is that an . . . . (Log ends here).


	12. Day 11

Journal Entry

Conquest of Adraxinus VII, Day 11:

You know, sometimes I get the feeling that the Emperor has a real funny way of blessing people. Case and point: last night. We were ragged, tired, and on edge. In fact, I think that if the Dark Eldar had attacked us at that particular point, we would have just turned over and died. So naturally, when we heard a large rumbling sound that eerily resembled a Leman-Russ, we were ready to kill some xenos in about three seconds. We didn't know exactly what it was that was headed toward us, but we knew two things about it: A.) That it was really big and B.) That it was really loud. Looking back on it, I swear Sims was on the verge of calling in an orbital strike and making another fine looking crater out of all of us. I took it as a sign of the jungle getting to our heads.

Well . . . (laughs) it wasn't a tank, that's for sure. We hear this loud grunting sound, and out of the brush lumbers an ogryn about the size of three of us put together. We could tell this one had seen some combat by the scratches on his arms and legs, and by the way he was desperately clutching his ripper cannon. With everything we'd been told about ogryn intelligence levels, we were almost afraid that he would accidently shoot us. We kept our guns raised, hoping it wouldn't charge. We were about to ask for its name, but then we heard a voice coming from behind the ogryn:

"I'd lower those weapons if I was you. Flak here doesn't like it when friends point guns at him."

Flak, the ogryn, looked over his shoulder. "Is dey friends?"

We heard a shuffling sound, and a ratling jumped off the back of the ogryn. He patted the ogryn on the arm. "They're as close to friends as we'll ever find down here, Flak."

Flak smiled a big toothy smile and bellowed: "Yay, friendlies!" He took a few steps forward. "My name is, erm . . . . is . . . my name is Flak! And dis here is Shrapnel! We's is dah bestest buddies in dah whole universes. We been killen' dem Dark Eldar flies tryin' to get to yah!" We were too stunned to reprimand him for bellowing like that when we were being hunted by the Dark Eldar. You see, the ogryn we were fine with: it was the appearance of the ratling which put us off balance. Shrapnel was wearing standard gear, with two bandoleers crossing his chest. Each bandoleer carried at least eight different grenades, and the grenade launcher on his back looked like it could level a building in a single barrage. "Before you ask," said Shrapnel, noticing the scrutiny, "yes, I'm a demolition expert, and yes, that's why my name is Shrapnel. I'm with the 24th Catachan Regiment, Catachan Devil's First Squad . . . or at least, what's left of it."

We all shifted around uneasily. We had all been present when the screams of the first squad leader had come echoing over the vox-com. It had chilled us to the bone, literally and figuratively. We had assumed that the Dark Eldar had wiped them out entirely, but the sudden appearance of this mismatched pair raised some important questions. It was Taurus who spoke up, asking what was on everyone's mind:

"We were listening on vox when your squad got hit. From what we heard, we had assumed no one survived. How'd you escape when the rest of your squad didn't?"

Shrapnel hung his head, his eyes lost in thought. "Flak and I" he motioned to the ogryn, "were sent out on patrol earlier that day. We were on our way back from our patrol route when they hit the squad. We heard the screams, and realized that our return wouldn't help anyone. So we decided to make a run for it."

"Were you followed?" asked Gardeux, obviously suspicious.

Shrapnel shrugged. "For a while, yes. Those damn Dark Eldar like to do a thorough job. We've been dodging patrols out here for days. It's been tough. We almost got caught a few times, and as you can see," he motioned towards the scars on his body, "we didn't go unscathed."

"Why'd they stop?"

"I'm not sure. The way things have been going, I wouldn't be surprised if they were still following now."

I was about to ask for some more details from this odd pairing, when suddenly Sims's head shot up, looking like he'd seen some sort of ghost. He raised his hand, and immediately the clearing fell silent. We all gripped our weapons as we heard a low humming sound in the distance. Suddenly, three Dark Eldar warriors flew over the clearing. They were wielding stave –like weapons, and were mounted on what looked like hovering metallic bats. They spotted us immediately, and swooped down into the clearing, cackling with sadistic glee.

The squad reacted quickly, recovering from the surprise attack very quickly. Most of us dived away from the center of the clearing, since that was where the Dark Eldar had focused their attack. I say most of us, because the ogryn didn't move from his spot. He simply stood there, roared "FLAK SWAT!" and used his ripper gun to knock one of the Dark Eldar flies from his hovercraft. Flak then proceeded to beat the flier to death. The brutality of his attack shocked the remaining xenos, and gave us the opening we needed to dispatch the other two fliers. I scored a kill with my melta, while Gardeux and Sims took down the other with their lasguns.

Afterwards, we all decided it was time to set up shop in a new location. We eagerly welcomed Flak and Shrapnel into our group, and set out through the jungle once again. I lead the way with my Sentinel walker, and was able to find us a new place to make camp. Taurus immediately disappeared into the surrounding jungle, setting up traps around the perimeter. Sims set up his vox-com, and began to attempt to raise command. He's still trying.

We set Flak and Shrapnel on first watch, which didn't seem to bother them in the slightest. Sims is getting a patchy signal, and Gardeux is setting himself up for the night. He's found himself a nice little sniper hole, giving him a nice sweeping view of the surrounding area. Taurus hasn't come back yet, which . . . worries me. I know he's a veteran guardsman, but still . . . he should have been back by now. Marcula and I may have to go looking for him. Either way, I'll have another update soon. Until then . . . Log End.


	13. Day 12

Journal Entry

Conquest of Adraxinus VII, Day 12:

Rain. I hate it. It's wet, it's annoying, it gets everywhere it shouldn't be, and makes travelling through dense jungles damn near impossible. So, of course, it's raining. A massive storm system has been rolling through our area for most of the day. It's still pouring, and that means that we can't move to a new location. Visibility is uncomfortably low, and the weather is keeping us from utilizing any of our sensor equipment. I can't take the sentinel out to patrol, since the ground is so unstable that it would sink into the mud before I would be able to leave camp.

This all started at about 0500 hours, just after the squad had set out to find a new spot. You see, after yesterday's attack, the squad decided that we would need to move frequently. We can't afford to take any more attacks right now, and the last attack had caused a bit of panic. The fact that there was a thunderhead brewing ominously only made things worse for us. It wrecked our visibility, and made it hard to move faster than a snail's pace. The jungle had gone quiet at the time, and that set my teeth on edge. A jungle should never, EVER be quiet.

That thunderhead I mentioned earlier got uglier and uglier throughout the day, boiling to the point that we began to think the damned thing was created by the Dark Eldar, since it seemed to be following us throughout our day long trek through the jungle. The air seemed to be getting dryer and dryer as the day went by, even though we were heading deeper into the jungle and had decided to steer clear of the mountain in general. I think some of the veteran guardsmen call this the "calm before the storm." We were anything but calm.

Poor Flak was on the verge on what would have been a disastrous nervous breakdown, for both himself and the rest of the squad. He was constantly looking around, clutching his weapon tightly against his chest, and muttering curses under his breath. I actually felt kind of sorry for him, as did the rest of the squad. I know we're supposed to be unfeeling predators when pulling guerilla warfare against the enemy, but still . . . . He looked so scared, it was hard not to pity him. He stuck very close to the ratling, Shrapnel, who did his best to reassure the nervous ogryn, telling him that everything would be alright. We weren't so sure, but we wisely chose not to say anything.

At about 1400 hours, we began to hear the first droplets of rain impact upon the leaves of the trees. It's funny, how rain is usually silent. You never hear it until it impacts another object. Anyway, we had to move quickly, because the damn rain got worse and worse by the minute. We were lucky to find our current resting place when we did. At the time, visibility was poor, and my Sentinel walker was starting to sink into the mud. Gardeaux almost broke his leg trying to get up here. He was climbing up through the mud, and some of the ground came out from under him. We were able to get him out, thank the Emperor, but he was pretty shaken up.

After setting up here, we attempted a few patrols of the surrounding area. Yeah, you can probably guess how long THAT lasted. I swear, I did not expect my Sentinel to sink so quickly into the muck and mire, and I had to back it up quickly in order to get it out. Taurus and Sims were a bit more successful in their patrols. They actually managed to cover quite a bit of ground in a short time. Don't ask me how they do it, but they do it, and do it well. They came back with little to report, aside from the incredible lack of a Dark Eldar presence there was in this particular area of the jungle. Maybe they just haven't gotten here yet. Maybe they passed this area up as being insignificant. I'm not sure. All I know is that the squad seems to be relieved. Maybe this is a good thing, to give us a chance to rest up, have some peace and quiet.

Well, that's all I really have for today. I've been sitting here on sentry duty for a while now, and it looks like the rain is clearing up just a tad. Maybe now we can . . . . . Wait, what's that . . . Marcula, Sims, Taurus, what the hell was . . . wait it looks like a . . . . awww hell, no rest for the wicked- (Log ends here).


	14. Day 13

Journal Entry

Conquest of Adraxinus VII, Day 13:

Sorry about the log cutting off yesterday. It got a bit exciting as I was ending the log, and I kinda had to drop everything and run. So I'll just pick up where yesterday's log ended. Right as the sky was clearing, and right as I was about to end my log for that day, a drop pod came shooting out of the sky. It was practically on fire, and its descent was rapid. The loud resounding crash it made when it impacted the jungle woke the entire camp up, and the panic that ensued took Taurus and me a few minutes to fix. Finally, we got everyone to shut up, and we organized a plan. I would take Taurus and Marcula out to investigate the crash site, while Sims would try to raise the _Doombringer_ on the vox-coms. Everyone agreed to it, and the three of us set out to investigate the crash site.

Thankfully, the crashed drop pod was located relatively near to the crash site, which made it pretty easy to find. In fact all we really had to do was follow the smell of smoke and the sound of screaming animals. It took us a while to navigate the hazardous terrain, since it was still raining when we set out for the crash site, and I had to leave my Sentinel walker back at the camp. The clouds hadn't totally cleared yet, so visibility was still poor. Still, even with these setbacks, we were able to locate the downed drop pod in short order, slowly sneaking through the underbrush, so as to not give away our position. Catachans can be pretty damn silent when we want to. Anyway, we finally reached the crash site, were confronted with a very hostile sight. A group of Dark Eldar were standing around, poking and prodding at the shackled form of a female. I motioned for the others to fan out, and wait for my signal. They nodded, Marcula moving silently towards the left end of the clearing, where two Dark Eldar sentries were posted, and Taurus climbing into a tree, moving silently from branch to branch. I almost lost sight of him a few times as I was moving to get a better view of the prisoner. What I saw almost shocked me into revealing our positions to the enemy: the prisoner was one of the fabled Sisters of Battle.

Now, I had heard tales back during basic training of the legendary zeal of the Sisters of Battle, and of their mandate to stamp out heresy wherever they could find it. What confused me was a): how the Dark Eldar had captured one, and b): why a Sister of Battle was out here alone. So far as I knew, there was no heresy being done around here. Then again, the remaining members of third squad, myself included, had been out of contact with command for a couple of days. Perhaps someone, in desperation, had lost faith in the Emperor, and began summoning the daemons of Chaos out of the Immaterium. I could not know the answer, however, for as I made eye contact with the Sister of Battle, I knew she was in dire straits, and in desperate need of assistance. Without making so much as a peep, I slid my Catachan Devil knife from its sheath, and put a single finger to my lips, signaling for her to be quiet. She answered with a barely perceptible nod, and hung her head, submitting to the ministrations of the Dark Eldar bastards. Slowly, I turned, and nodded towards my fellow Catachans. Without a sound, Taurus dropped from the tree he was in, right on top of the Dark Eldar sentries beneath him, bringing both his knives down on their heads. Marcula jumped out the underbrush, torching both sentries in front of him. Seeing our intentions for what they were, the leader of the party raised her sword to run the young Sister through. It was at that moment that the wretched piece of xenos filth found my blade sticking straight out of her chest. She tried to say something to me, but all she got out was a strange gurgling noise, as I slid my blade out of her back, killing the other two with my melta gun before they had time to attack. It was over before you could blink.

After we finished off the last of the xenos, we turned back to try and aid the Sister that had almost been stabbed. We found out to our dismay that she had passed out from the pain of her injuries during the fighting. Since I had saved her life, I decided to carry her back to camp. Damn, that girl was heavier than Marculas Heavy Flamer. What freaked me out was that she looked like she was barely older than about nineteen years of age. No normal member of the Imperium her age would be fighting, yet here she was, in the midst of a jungle hellhole. When we returned to the camp, we were met with a few raised eyebrows concerning our "precious cargo," but no one saw fit to ask any questions. Gardeaux is doing his best to patch her up. Her wounds appear to be healing naturally, but she hasn't shown any signs of coming to. Well, I've got to go, it's my turn on sentry duty. I'll update again tomorrow. Until then . . . Log End.


End file.
